Dear Homebrewing friends i start this thread in order to introduce SmartPID most andanced temperature and porcess controller for consumer market. In few words SmartPID Controller is a professionally engineered Hi-tech product for temperature and process control having lots of functions and features, which are not present in other or normal 'Thermostats'

Before entering technical details few words about the “philosophy” and idea behind the project

When I start designing the SmatPID I try to capture some requirements and functionalities that are actually not present in low cost thermostat like STC1000 and are more typical in the professional control device (PLC) but at the same time I put lot of effort to keep it simple, accessible, affordable for a consumer market and DIY enthusiast

apart form the core temperature control features (PID/PWM etc..) indeed very advanced and powerful the main innovation I have introduced that make SmartPID unique are

Full process automation
Thanks to the power of the platform it's possible to develop custom application that needs process control with complex service logic and manage a complete workflow.
Basic thermostat just simply ready temperature and control a relay according to set point..In smartPID you can program steps, ramps, triggers, alarms and manage complex temperature profile over the time.
Typical example is food processing like beer brewing, cheese making or food drying where according to specific recipe parameters the heating process should be managed step by step controlling and orchestrating different elements (heater, pump, fan..)

Data logging and export (USB & wifi)
The possibility to log all process data and analyse real time or off line is another typical feature that is available only on professional devices or with external data logger.
SmartPID has an internal 8Mbit EEPROM where all the process data (temperature, set point, PWM power, control direction etc,,) are logged and can be accessed either locally via USB and a desktop application (CSV export) or remotely pushed via wifi connection to a cloud server.

WiFi connectivity for remote management and IoT cloud integration
Wifi connectivity and cloud integration is what make SmartPID really smart !
Small wifi optional module is integrated in the SmarPID box and once connected to the wifi access the device can provide lot of new feature
remote management → configuration and control of setup parameter and process parameter from any location via web or smartphone
data logg→ real time monitoring of main process parameter and storage in the cloud server
for the development and design phase the thingspeak cloud service has been used , a private cloud server will be deployed after project founding

DIN Box
Another key driver for the design was the “box size” and we decide to use a standard DIN box in order to make SmartpID ultra compact and backward compatible with STC1000 like thermostat, you can just unplug your current controller and plug SmartPID to get the new full set of features
Engineering all the HW to support the new features has been very challenging but the result is a very powerful platform with powerful CPU, lot of memory and I/O capabilities that is the base line for developing powerful applications

Arduino Compatibility
Last but not least important driver was to keep as much as possible the platform open and easy programmable so the natural choice was to do development under Arduino umbrella. The component selection like the MCU (SAMD21 arduino Zero and MKR1000 IoT new board) and the architure are fully arduino compatible. I have developed a custom bootloader and specific board definition that can be imported in the Arduino IDE so you can just connect SmartPID via USB port to your PC and develop you sketch using the arduino tool-chain and all the supported libraries.

Happy to announce after 2 weeks from SmartPID launching that the second application on top of the SmartPID platform is nearly ready and is completely dedicated to home brewing process automation

What is new and different compared to the standard basic application (smart thermostat)?
Substantially Smart Home Brewing App adds to a standard temperature control features all the process automation and workflow to manage all typical steps for beer making. We have customized vertically the SW for the specific application leveraging all the basic features available on the platform
Each vertical application has off course it’s own set of data, process parameter and configuration and so is the smart home brewing app that execute all process steps according to in memory “recipe”and controls HW resources (heating elements, pump/stirrer, buzzer ) in automatic way

If this is not enough the development roadmap foresse other uniques functions in particular the possibility to define the process parameter and recipe via web or smartphone interface and upload via wifi to the controller.
Even if it’s very easy to configure smartPID via local menu the possibility to have a web user area with all parameters and recipe as well all the log data of previous brew day we believe is a real plus. In order to simplify the recipe process from definition to run mode also import of mash and boil profile from major SW like Beersmith is in feasibility stage

In next posts we try to show a real case of set up and cabling for BIAB equipments and a video with complete overview of the functions trough the EMULATOR

During this month after launching we have collected lot of feedback and also questions either technical and commercial.
We have collected in the FAQ section on the web site, have a look for any doubt on the project !

Breaking news and great day for the project, I'm happy to inform you in advance that the crowdfunding campaign is started and SmartPID is finally live on INDIEGOGO
I see already some pledge and traffic from the forum and your community and thanks to all early adopter and backers but now the most important think is to spread the news to reach the maximum number of people.
I have chosen the hard way “all or nothing” to reach a certain volume and MoQ to keep production cost and consequently price affordable and next days I will start some mkt campaign but the success of the campaign depends greatly on you and the world of mouth is the key..I kindly ask you to engage your homebrewing, DIY enthusiasts, makers friends an let them know about the campaingsure of your support I will update regularlybr Davidearzaman engineering

Hishort project update for this beginning 2017 Development continue and I'm happy to share a couple of news

From HW perspective I succeed adding an I2C expansion port on the back panel that provides lot of flexibility and expansion capabilities. The port has “grove” pin out and there are lot of sensors and actuators that can be connected.

The other improvement is related to the smartphone app. Lot of enhancement, new layout and now the possibility not only to monitor from remote the process parameter but also to modify the set point
have a look to this short video that show the remote control capabilites

Since I got few questions I would like to provide you an update of the project after the strategy review post indiegogo campaign.I can confirm you that finally I have distributed 12 SmartPID to selected beta tester, it's an important milestone since after one year of work smartpid leave my laboratory and someone start really playing with it and provide real feedback.I'm collecting the first feedback on all possible areas..from buy experience to fulfillment..from general look and feel to user experience ..from smartphone app to core features. The overall feedback generally speaking is positive and I got really lot of valuable inputs either on fixing some problems (mainly in the smartphone app) or review and enhance some parts. Here some unboxing and first integrations ..Lot of discussion and interaction (an lot of work) !In parallel the development proceeds on many different streamsI have released first version of the installation and configuration manual that provides all details to connect and configure smartPID (wifi config, thingspeak config, Arduino IDE config and sketch compilation , FW upgrade and so on). You can download form the github pageA new SW release is now available either for the homebrewing app and smart thermostat adding two main content: Fahrenheit support and probe calibration supportIn the short term roadmap some important enhancements are already palnned: delayed start for fridge (smart thermostat) and PID autotuning beta, should be interesting experiment autotuning algorithm in your setupAs promised I have made smartPID open source and I have also completed the github area with all source code,libraries, schema, driver etc.. so anyone that will enjoy programming and hacking smartPID can do ! Please remember that all material is subject to GNU V3 open source licensehttps://github.com/arzaman/smartPIDI have prepared also the website for adding a wiki section and a forum section. Hopefully I will release in live in the week end. This will allow better project documentation and interaction with all end userThe very good news is that end next week I should receive the front panel that is the last missing part so I'm potentially ready to provide to you the long waited smartpid (more or less in line with indiegogo campaing schedule)My plan is to collect other feedback from beta tester up to end of February , fix major issue and than distribute the remaining 50 boards (with precedence to backers) and increase the community.. so stay tuned !Davide

Long time since last post and lot of things happens !
Many homebrewers adopted SmartPID controller and I got lot of feedback that allow me to enhance and improve either HW and SW
Before summer break (at least in north hemisphere it’s summer time !) just few update on the project

Still working on the improvement of the overall quality of the engineering of smartPID and from next batch I'm happy to announce that the front panel has been replaced with a new one.
Not just a graphical and aesthetic review but a different solution. The tactile switch are now internal and on top of the panel a flexible membrane allow to press it.
This provide a very good feeling in operating in smartPID but more important good protection of the inside from splash or particles. Little details but improved in quality and reliability

Biggest news are SW side. As you may have seen the focus on the development now is on the BBQ controller application, with support of few professional pit master now the application is almost complete. Very powerful, feature reach and flexible...I will follow up on this topic and I will start a beta testing campaign after summer break ..stay tuned

The BBQ app give me the chance to talk about another big change in the SW architecture and evolution of SmartPID ecosystem. You know that one of the SmartPID smartest feature is the capability to remote monitor and control your device and process. Currently the smartphone app is available for android only and is based on the public service provided by Thingspeak.

In the BBQ solution I have tested a new technology to implement the remote control and the results are really good and promising

The new technology is based on MQTT subscribe and notify protocol that is becoming a standard for the IoT connected devices and allow me to mange a private server where to develop advanced services
From technical perspective allow me to solve lot of the annoying things to make a device connected via WiFi home router like the dynamic IP address of firewall traversal.

From your end user perspective the initial set up user experience will be simplified, the new app will be very responsive and with possibility to implement also commands and actions.
And finally the technology allow me to implement either native android smartphone app but also web application that you can use in any browser….fixed or mobile..so including tablet or IOS devices.

In autumn I will retrofit also the smartphone app for hombrewing and smart thermostat and finally implement what you request so many times: full brew day and process remote controls (not only monitors) with full interactions and all the parameters remote control including recipe management

Finally I'm working to other two applications: a complete process controller for malting barley with a micro-malthouse and a spirit distiller controller. Still in a design and concept stage but progressing !

If you are interested there are really few smartPID pieces in the store still at the launch price, next stock available in August

Have a nice holiday and talk to you after summer break with other news and progress !